Finally moving away from E2

Pros

The user interface is easy to understand and navigate. The routing and BOM functions work well. Outgoing paperwork (packing slips, vendor returns, RMAs...etc) are generated easily. The quality module works well for us. Ultimately its a great software for smaller job shops; ie, less than 25 employees.

Cons

The scheduling system doesn't work. The system consistently puts out a schedule that doesn't make sense. We are a quick turn, CNC machining job shop, and need a software that enables us to understand our capacity. Often times, jobs that are due tomorrow are on the second page of the report, and jobs that aren't due for 6 weeks are at the top of the list. We worked with tech support and cannot get a resolution. We implemented E2 in 2003 and only started trying to use the scheduling module in the last year. It was a great software initially, but now that we have grown we need software that does what we need it to do. Beyond that, items frequently go corrupt. Unprocessing and reprocessing anything (work orders, purchase order, NCs, CAPAs...etc) risk corrupting the file. If you double click on certain things the system crashes. If two people are in an item at the same time, quantities and/or lines duplicate. Once supplies are received or product is shipped, the system will not allow certain changes to be made. The personnel efficiency reports generate numbers that don't make sense. We've visited this repeatedly and cannot sort out a solution. Just last week I reviewed the efficiency reports for our production crew, and a job they were given 4 hours to setup showed "ESTIMATED SETUP" time of 2.27 hours. Our settings are correct but for some reason the system comes up with understated estimates, despite what we tell it to do.

New E2 User - Happy So far.

So far - we have been very happy with it. The simplicity of the product is a great. As it matures, perhaps some of the features will grow too. We will continue to support that endeavor by providing as much feedback as we can, and offering new product ideas that can be rolled out into the system.

Pros

Value is great, and the Cloud Based version is easy to step into. E2 appears to be ahead of the curve with getting their platform onto a cloud system for their customers, and it was one of the deciding factors why we went with E2 instead of other ERP system out there. Because of the cloud-based nature of the system, we have enjoyed the frequent updates to the product, it feels like we should never get behind. This is a comforting benefit as a system ages.

The flow of work through the system is clearly organized to make the use of the system easy to understand for new users. We have background in a couple other standard ERP systems, and moving into E2 has been easy after a few pointers about how the system runs. The home-screen that shows work flow is easy to follow.

Lastly - one of our favorite features has been how easy it is to customize reports. Sometimes it can be tricky, or perform unexpectedly, but all-in-all it workable. A more advanced tutorial on report customization would be helpful

Cons

There are not many broad system cons that we have found. We find the system to be simple and that it does what it is supposed to do well. Mostly, we have noticed over the past 10 months features we wish were included making E2 a more feature rich system.

For example, inventory management could be more feature rich, including categories for non-inventory items (e.g. tooling, etc.) as a default option out of the box, or multiple pricing structures based on vendor, beyond the simple standard cost. We also wish it were were easy to reserve parts being made on a STOCK job to a newly entered sales order. There may be a way to do this, but it has not been immediately clear

For incoming material, it would be nice to have the ability to receive parts/material via the data collection terminal right on the shop floor, rather than having to use a full license to perform what is a basic transaction. Furthermore, the ability to print an "Incoming Material" report for each purchase order (service or otherwise) would be helpful for a shop management. This way there is a paper record of what is coming in on a PO.

For work flow, it'd be nice if there were options linking to create an invoice directly from a packing list (e.g. a save and create invoice option in the save button).

Some of these missing features we find to be inhibiting our efficiency of implementation, so far we are working around them.

The Perfect Manufacturing Software

We have been using E2 for well over 16 years and so far we love it. We have used other systems and this one just seed to get it right. In that time we have only had a handful of issues of which most were fixed in minutes and all we had to do was call Tech Support and explain what was not working. The customer and technical support staff are extremely knowledgeable in what their software can do and how they can customize it to fit your every need. They have even extra fields set aside for all most every function to carry different data types just in case you have found a data point that they haven't thought of.

Pros

E2 creates a clutter free work space with a simple layout and design. Shop Tech has broken down the manufacturing process to get a true understanding of how our company really operates. The bolt on modules allow for greater control of specific functions in particular departments. We specifically use the Scheduling and Custom Order Import Automation functions. Scheduling give us a top level view, department view, work center view, and all the way down to a view of sub parts that make up a single part. This tells us exactly where an order is as well as if we are under or over loaded at the work center and department level. All I have to do is pull up the schedule, click a button for the level of detail I want to display and away it goes. The Custom Order Import Function has allowed us to automate the order entry process by simply downloading a file from our customer, pointing where I saved the file, and clicking "Import". This function creates the order and based off our custom company settings which we have setup to automatically pull from stock jobs, inventory, post a quantity to make or a combination of all of the above. We can then run a requirement report to see what we need to make to fulfill open orders or to make stock for inventory. It really doesn't get easier than that.

Cons

The extra modules do have a cost but they are well worth it. On the plus side of that, E2 will demo the modules with full functionality and if it doesn't incorporate everything that you need you don't have to purchase it.

E2 Shop System for a Job Shop

This software has all of the features necessary to quote a project, purchase for a project, and move the project successfully through the shop from one work station to another, accurately accumulating time as it goes. It will give you insight into your jobs as to estimated performance versus actual performance, it will give you control over your purchasing and a 30,000ft level view of your work center loading. Overall, it has the capabilities to meet a wide variety of manufacturing requirements with good reporting, and useful tools

Pros

The software is pretty easy to use. We can usually get new employees up and running fully on the software with only a couple of days of training.

If you implement the time keeping module it allows for excellent review of jobs and verification of timing for your work.

By far the best part of E-2 is the support. They have a wide range of support tools including Webex training's, customer support, and even analysts who can help implement, and improve your software usage.

Cons

Like most software it is built around a model that may not exactly match your business model. In this case the issue is Parts vs. Jobs. Our shop tracks jobs through the shop that are composed of multiple parts. E-2 works best if one part is one job. While it is possible to run multi-part jobs you lose some of the functionality of the software when you do.

The other limitation is eliminating duplicate data. If you have customers, materials or parts that were duplicated, or just plain created incorrectly, it is cumbersome to remove them from the E-2 system.

9 Year User of E2 Shoptech

Pros

The product is a comprehensive job tracking system. When using the individual "modules" in the correct order in creating parts, quotes, jobs, purchases, shipments, etc. you will be able to trace, track, run reports and get great information. Shoptech as a vendor has always been extremely helpful when you contact them. You will not sit on hold for hours like with some other vendors. You will find both basic information and more extensive information on their website either through webinars, help papers, virtual training classes and also User Discussion Boards. Should you not find the information which you are seeking, their staff is very informative and will not leave you in a bind.

Cons

The vendor is very upfront about what their system will and will not accomplish. I miss my accounting bells and whistles with having real time reporting at my finger tips (however, they do provide a "Quick-view" area in which to get real time data for various areas in the system such as job status, parts/customer/vendor inquiries and information, PO status, etc. The worst issue that I can state is that in order to take a look at where items are hitting the G/L, the month in question has to be posted. In order to make any changes, the months have to be unposted. Users should not be in the "Accounting area" when this is being done. AND the worst part in using the audit trail to see which user possibly edited something, no matter where in the system, the audit trail will only tell you who viewed, possibly edited, but will not give you further information to solve your puzzles as to who did what, when and why.

E2 is the ERP that gives the big name ERP's a Run for there money!!

Pros

I have used multiple ERP systems some of them rather expensive with a large learning curve, when I went looking for a ERP system for our machine shop, one of the leading criteria was that the ERP would have, or support the AS9100 standard. E2 was the only one that offered a QA module to help create our AS9100 documentation, then as a bonus E2 had a consultant come out and help set up our AS9100 Quality Management System, to top it off, another consultant came back out a few month later to do an audit of our documentation to make sure we were ready to take on the AS9100 registrar. E2 does have an AP & AR module however we wanted to be able to keep our financial information separate in QuickBooks, this ERP system allows you to flow order and purchase order information seamlessly from E2 to QuickBooks by syncing this information over. I really hope companies that are looking for an ERP system make E2 their choice. I did a lot of painstaking research on this and wish I would have found reviews of ERP systems like this to help me along. E2 does what it takes to run a business effectively and as an added surprise the software is cost effective as well.

Cons

The only Area I have had a challenge with would be the timeclock buzzer, the timeclock portion is provided by one of E2's partners and we recently had the buzzer stop working well, the e2 sofware is pinging the correct signal however the buzzer is not working correctly. So really this doesnt seem to be a E2 issue it is a computerwise issue (computerwise is the timeclock system)

We are a custom fabricator of precision metal parts and assemblies. We are very diverse in our customer market base, each of which has their particular needs and associated challenges. We started out several years ago using Excel spreadsheets for quoting that became increasingly complex and customized. The maintenance aspect of the quotes and quoting process became very convoluted and messy. The biggest problem with a Microsoft product system was the ability for any user to accidentally make changes to the quoting sheet for one particular customer and that calculation would carry over to other quotes. We knew that we needed to improve the process of quoting and tracking time associated with each project. In addition, we wanted to add BOM and stock tracking capabilities, so we began to look at all of the options available. We researched JobBoss, Citrux, Syspro, Intuit and Microsoft Dynamics. Each of the software platforms had pros and cons. For us, the determining factors were price per function and the feature set offerings that were specifically designed for manufacturing. We did not want to custom tailor a software package for our shop. We wanted a software that was already set up for the way we do business, all we had to do was populate the fields and learn the basic functions. Overall, E2 has been a good decision for our company. It has allowed us to scale up and spend much less time tracking order status, employee and machine utilization and keeping track of BOMs without the use of Excel spreadsheets, which we used to use for everything. Excel was a good starting tool for us, but was not sustainable as we have grown. We are much leaner now than before and I feel that we are able to generate and evaluate useful BI data for evaluation. We like having the ability to know the time it takes us to process a particular job through the shop, and the ability for administrative employees to be able to check the status of a job. We have recommended E2 to two of our supply chain partners since inception. One of the companies uses it and does well with it. The other company never embraced it and made the commitment to fully transition over to it. The moral of the story: It is a good tool, but it is not a five minute process to transition into it. It requires a champion within your organization that will learn it and be willing to get the data transfer set up so that your company can make a hard-stop transition over to using the system and not look back to your current system. Human nature is to resist change and you will have to manage your staff’s desire to keep using your current system because it’s comfortable and quicker, due to their knowledge of the current system. We have had a few issues along the way that have been frustrating (probably 5 times in 6 years). On a few occasions we have lost some data and had employees that were unable to input data into the system. We believe that the root cause was the system failing in some way while an employee was logging data. For example, If I am inputting data into an order and there is a fault (for any reason: power dip, hardware on my computer, etc) the E2 system sees this a problem because I was in the main database and when the network connection is re-established. We back up our data daily and can always revert to the previous day’s data. This was a fairly easy fix, but the primary frustration was the lost time determining that the system is no longer recording the data that we put in. Ratings: Initial Install and data transfer, 7 (The tool to do this has gotten better since we migrated our data) Training and support, 9 (Support has been good) Ease of use and how easy to work with, ( Initially, 7. Now that we are comfortable with it, 9) Any hiccoughs or glitches, (Yes, but minor, and probably in line with industry standard.) Accuracy of info generated, 9 (You must ensure that employees are logging into and out of jobs accurately. This takes time, but will become a learned behavior. We have a lady in our office view the employee's log twice per day to ensure that they are logged into a job. If not, then they have to explain why) We would purchase E2 again.

Growing Our Business

Seventeen years ago I was brought into CAMCO to research and implement a comprehensive business and shop control solution for them. Other previous attempts to do so weren't working out and then we found Shoptech. I'm still here! Shoptech has enabled us to control and track the hundreds of jobs and thousands of associated parts that flow through our business monthly. We can see where our time and materials are and have a precise breakout of costs and income. The accounting and reports module generate all that is needed for our accountants to do their respective tasks and give upper management the oversight they need to run the business.

Pros

We're a growing company and as such have turn-over and new personnel growth. E2 is intuitive and our new employees seem to be able to adapt into the system with minimal effort and training. As the IT person here I have witnessed that peer-to-peer training seems to be all that is required to have that new person up and running on E2 within a short time and with little involvement from me, that's a big help! From Shipping and Receiving through final Billing, if our new hire has basic computing skills, their transition into that respective E2 function hasn't been a major training concern.

Cons

We're a service and repair facility and it took considerable effort improvising and rethinking to adapt the system into our way of doing things. Initially the software seemed to be over-kill and confusing for our needs but with time we were able to merge our methods with the system and adapt.

Great Job Shop Software

Although the move from the Professional version to the web based E2 system has had some issues that still have not been resolved I would still recommend E2. The people at E2 are great and are always trying to improve their product and in time I think it will be exactly what we are looking for. I still want to see a Sales/CRM Module and then I'd say it's pretty close to being a complete system.

Pros

The new web based software works well and is easy to use. The integration of the of all the different modules is very nice. Data collection tied to operations and job travelers gives us a great way to quote more accurately and efficiently. The Rapid Documentation System gives you all that you'll need to become ISO certified and ties right into your E2 system. The new apps that they have created have added features making it easy to enter additional information and part pictures.

Cons

The web based system has a repository manager which is the weakest link in the system. It's time consuming to upload documents, enter documents into document control, and then link to the part number. This needs to be simplified. Also all the documents must be PDF's if you want them to print with a job traveler. In the new web based system you will be mouse clicking all over the screen instead of tabbing from field to field. Also you will need a large monitor to minimize the screen from jumping around and still be able to see the font.

Delta Gear (formerly TIFCO Gage & Gear) is a privately held entity providing advanced machining services to the aerospace industry. E2 was implemented at Delta Gear in 2004 after the company was acquired and moved to our current location in Livonia, MI. In keeping with the company mission to strategically invest in the latest machining technologies, Delta Gear also upgraded the business system to an enterprise-wide solution that could centralize critical processes, provide real-time status, and still be relatively easy to use and maintain. E2 was selected and quickly implemented using the primary modules of estimating, sales, purchasing, shipping, and billing. This model served the company well for about five years. However, as the company grew and customer requirements increased, we recognized that our model needed adjustment and that there were E2 functions available that could help us meet these new demands. Accordingly, in mid-2009 we initiated an improvement project to move us to the next level of E2 and business system effectiveness. First, an internal E2 ‘champion’ was dedicated to the project with the charge to be a functional leader/liaison between the system, our staff and E2 support resources, which have always been very responsive and helpful. Next, a full evaluation of our Table master data was performed and we discovered that we could significantly increase our performance visibility by improving that data. With that foundation in place, we began to implement unused E2 functions. For example, Document Control became a key tool in our successful migration from ISO 9000 to AS9100. Also, our legacy paper-based Non-Conformance and Corrective Action program is now centralized on E2 and links to the associated items and jobs to which they apply. Employee training records were also migrated to E2 and we are now testing the Work Center and Tooling Maintenance functions. Even more important has been the improvement recognized by better use of the Advanced Scheduling and Purchasing systems. After tailoring our work-center master data, we can now identify potential bottlenecks and address them before they occur. Purchasing is now using the auto-ordering tools that pull from job requirements defined in bills of materials and orders. Finally, these efforts have allowed us to effectively use most of the QuickView module to provide real-time performance data as well as to export reports for monthly business metric presentations. These are then logged into Document Control as objective evidence for AS/ISO, or customer surveillance audits. By embracing the disciplines embedded in E2, we are steadily moving from a ‘reactive’ to a ‘pro-active’ planning approach for our entire enterprise. Our business has recently moved to a larger state-of-the-art facility and we are confident that E2 will be able to handle our growth effectively.

Forward Technologies is a small Job Shop in Springfield, OH. We specialize in machining plastics. When I started at Forward Tech in 2007 we were using Peachtree software for our accounting system, Excel Spreadsheets for scheduling and quoting and a paper system for purchasing (NO PO’S). In 2008 we started looking at software systems - my boss is always interested in improvements. That year we added another mill and lathe to the shop and our capacity had increased; handling everything was becoming more difficult. We looked at several systems but E2 just blew them all away. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind – we wanted this system. Implementation was reasonably easy - we were starting from scratch so we were able to do things exactly the way we wanted. Of course we found out later it wasn’t exactly the way we wanted, but changes were easily made and with experience we are running very smoothly. With time and confidence we have utilized more aspects of the system. At first it was Order Entry-Purchasing- Accounting- then a real push to Time Tracking. We have not implemented scheduling but I see a time in the very near future when we will. Our use of the Quality Module is sporadic – but that is a manpower issue, not a software one. I cannot say enough about Trisha, our in house rep. During implementation and the year afterward, she was always there to help and in fact still is. She answers emails instantly and I think she might even take some at home because I have received responses late in the evening. Since the addition of Tech View on the website, I can find the answers to some of my questions very quickly without bugging Trisha (I love the info sheets under “Knowledge”). One of the techs is always available; they get back to me quickly and help me fix whatever issue I might have. How has E2 helped our shop? Since purchasing E2 we have doubled our capacity, hired more machinists, doubled our square footage and tripled our job load. Being able to easily track what is in-house, what is on order, order history, pricing, did we make money, did we lose money, the ability to play with pricing and have an idea of the profitability of the part, the ease of cross-referencing PO’s with invoices – all of these things have made my life so much easier. As the shop has grown I have been able to keep up- and I think a lot of it is due to E2. I also think that E2 has given us confidence that we are actually making a profit – and with that confidence the knowledge that we can keep growing. We will be adding another Mill this fall. Have there been difficulties? Of course, there always is with change – but I LOVE this system. If we have experienced resistance, well, that is a part of life. If I have to use a cattle prod on my fellas then I will use a cattle prod, because at the end of the day what I get from E2 is worth it.